West Ham ready to make Carroll a Hammer as Gold admits interest in £35m Kop striker

West Ham have upped the ante in their bid to sign Andy Carroll after co-owner David Gold hinted he'd be ready to bankroll the move.

Manager Sam Allardyce wants to make a marquee signing ahead of his club's return to the Barclays Premier League and West Ham are prepared to break their budget for the Liverpool No 9.

Wanted man: Andy Carroll is being linked with a move away from Liverpool, and West Ham and Fulham are both keen on the striker

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The Hammers are proposing an initial
loan with a view to buying Carroll for around £15million.

That would
represent a huge loss for Liverpool, who signed the forward for £35m in
January 2011.

And although Gold said official talks
hadn't taken part between the two clubs, he admitted the London
side are interested in signing Carroll.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Gold said: 'I am not aware of any talks between ourselves or Liverpool over Andy Carroll.

'But that's not to say we don't have an interest should he become available.'

Carroll, 23, is facing an uncertain future at Anfield after Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers refused to dismiss the idea he could leave on loan.

Close friends: Carroll lived with West Ham skipper Nolan when they played together at Newcastle

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Fulham could yet hold a trump card with
Dempsey as Rodgers is a confirmed admirer of the USA forward, who is in
the final 12 months of his contract at Craven Cottage.

The interest from Italy in Carroll, who is on holiday, is not just from AC Milan but it is debatable whether a move to Serie A would appeal to him.

Carroll, who has scored 11 goals in 59 appearances for Liverpool, has not given any indication he wants to leave Merseyside but may struggle for regular starts in Rodgers' new regime.

Significantly, Rodgers would not give any assurances about Carroll's future when presented with the opportunity on Monday and a switch to Upton Park could prove enticing.

Allardyce's style of play would suit Carroll, while he would also link up with close friend and former Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan.

Rodgers is expected to make Fabio Borini his first signing in a £10m deal after Roma confirmed Liverpool's interest. The new Kop boss is just as keen on tying down Luis Suarez, whose deal runs to June 2016.

Incoming: Fabio Borini (left) is set to be Rodgers' first signing at Anfield

I'm a believer: Rodgers also wants to tie Luis Suarez to a longer deal

Liverpool want to extend his contract and increase his £80,000-a-week pay to be in line with the club's highest earners.

When asked if the club were any closer to announcing Suarez's new deal, Rodgers said: 'We hope so. He has really bought into what we are trying to do. He was really excited about how we played at Swansea last year.'